Let’s take a look at the general attitude toward skin care in Japan. Japanese people like performing thorough cleansing. Japanese women believe thorough removal of make-up is necessary for healthy skin. Facial washes with strong cleansing action are popular. Japanese women wear multiple stages of make-up from foundation to blusher and tend to remove all fine facial hair (I hear that Korean women generally do not remove facial hair). The tap water in Japan is pure and safe enough to be ingested without filtering and is also ideal for cleansing. The tradition of taking frequent baths has continued for centuries and the Japanese believe skin care begins with cleansing. Most Japanese women perform dual cleansing of lathering twice to completely remove all impurities. They also tend to rub the skin forcefully and use hot water to strip the skin of intercellular lipids (ceramide).

In the Western culture, women generally wear light make-up and cleansing involves simple wiping with a cloth. The Japanese on the other hand like to cleanse thoroughly until the skin feels soft to touch. Such obsession with cleansing strips the skin of necessary moisture and oils. This is why it is important to moisturize with a toner or lotion after cleansing. Japanese women typically perform aggressive cleansing of the face and also care a great deal about moisturization. Many also use products with light peeling effect. In my practice, I often encounter patients with thin, vulnerable skin lacking necessary keratin and oils.

 

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Cleansing the skin with soap is a modern practice. Thanks to industrial advancements enabling mass production of caustic soda, soap became widely available. Soap was originally used for washing clothes or other objects, and not for cleansing the skin. However, it has been marketed as a skin cleanser since decades ago. Facial cleansers are the latest invention. The Japanese women no longer boast smooth skin. They are envious of the smooth and clear skin of Korean women.

Many Japanese aesthetic clinicians agree that excessive cleansing causes thin skin with dull coloration and red splotches. One famous Japanese doctor recommends ‘skin fasting’ which means not applying any skin care products. Not applying any moisturizer after excessive washing would leave the skin dry and weak, however, he recommends that avoiding soap and using lukewarm water to conserve the natural oils can restore the original function of the skin. If the skin is thinned and weakened from excessive cleansing, skin fasting does restore healthy thickness, natural moisturization factors, intercellular lipids such as ceramide and the natural sebaceous film.

Smooth skin does not always equal healthy skin. Skin care habits that may create a smooth appearance but actually weaken the skin should be avoided. On the other hand, healthy yet blemished skin is also undesirable. One needs to find the right balance. Some dermatologists argue that excessive friction can cause melasma. Some even say abstaining from rubbing the skin during cleansing even eliminates melasma. I have seen many cases of melasma improving when rubbing was stopped. The fact that melasma is particularly prevalent in Japanese people may be related to their cleansing habits.

 

-To be continued-